Rotary valve



L. E. MYLTING Jan. 16, 1951 ROTARY VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1948 INVENTOR. vLUE/TZ EM/L NYLT/NG' www ,47' ONEYS L. E. MYLTING Jan. 16, 1951 ROTARY VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 29, 1948 INVENTOR. Awe/72 EMM Mw 7'//\/6 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 16, 195i ROTARY VALVE Lauritz Emil Mylting, Merchantville, N. J., as-

signor to The Allen-Sherman-Hoff Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 29, 1948, Serial No. 4,970

3 Claims. l

The present invention relates generally to the material handling art and is more particularly concerned with a new rotary valve for transferring or moving nely divided dry solids, such as fine ashes, from a hopper or the like.

Rotary valves which have been used heretofore for removing finely divided solids from hoppers have comprised a thin plate depending from the hopper and surrounding the hopper discharge opening and a rotor which initially engaged the lower edge of the plate. When the solids were abrasive in character, the peripheral surfaces of the valve or the opposed sealing surfaces of the plate, or both of these surfaces, were abraded and Worn away. As a result of such wear, fine solids could leak out of the hopper kwhen the valve was not rotating and the amount of leakagein- Y shoe.

creased as the wear increased. When the Wear became as great as could be tolerated, the valve was replaced. The rate of wear of these parts increased considerably when the valve was used to transfer solids from a Ichamber under a given pressure to another chamber where anotherpressure existed, for example, from a hopper whose interior was maintained at subatmospheric pressure to a chamber where atmospheric pressure prevailed. Also, the extent of leakage of solids and gases past the valve increased with the increase in gas pressure differential, and furnace eflciency was often impaired when wear admitted air to enter a hopper and raise the subatmospheric pressure preferred therein. Although these shortcomings of rotary valves have 'long been known, no one, so far as I know, has proposed a rotary valve which would be free from these disadvantages. f

The present invention provides rotary valves which can be used several times as long as prior valves and even under differential gas pressures without leakage of solids or gases past the valve, which includes new sealing means and in which the sealing means may be replaced quickly, readily and inexpensively `when worn beyond a predetermined extent.

The fundamental differences between the means of my present invention and previous devices and the reasons for the superiority of devices embodying my invention over thoseof the art will become apparent upon consider-ation of the following detailed description and the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, in which I Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a rotary valve embodying this invention taken axially of` the rotor;

Figure 2 is a View taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Figure 3 is a vertical Isectional View of another rotary valve embodying this invention, taken axially of the rotor; and

Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Viewed generally, the device of my present invention comprises a cylindrical, compartmented, rotary valve, preferably disposed within a housing, means for rotating the valve, and means for sealing the valve at all times comprising a flanged The rotor and sealing means therefor, in accordance withthis invention, are adjustable relative to each other so that as the parts wear in use they may be re-adjusted to maintain the desired sealing action and replaced when `worn beyond the range of adjustment.

The device of Figs. land 2 comprises la valve housing, a rotary valve and a valve seal. The valve housing I is preferably fabricated and has openings through its upper and lower ends surrounded by bolt flanges 2 and 3, respectively. A gasket retaining plate 4, having Ia central opening, is positioned on top of ange 2. Bolts (not shown) extendthrough flange 2 and plate 4 to secure the housing to a hopper (not shown) having a bottom discharge opening aligned with the opening through plate 4. The housing I has a bracket structure extending from one side` thereof, including braces 5 and a bearing housing 6.

A shaft I0 is rotatably mounted in bearings I I carried in bearing housing 6 and is provided at its outer end with a sprocket I2 for engagement with a drive chain (not shown) `and at its end within housing I is integrally connected to a disc I3. Thrust collars I4 and I5 are fastened to shaft' Ill at either end of bearing housing 5. Packing I6 is retained in place about shaft I0 within an outwardly extending annular flange I I by ring |18 which is threaded into the flange. The disc I3 is provided on its inner face with an axially extending flange 20 and with a threaded hole 2| located on the axis of the disc. The disc I3 and shaft I0 serve to support and rotate the rotor of the valve.

The valve rotor 25 is substantially Vcylindrical and comprises ahub 26, end discs 21 and 28 integral therewith `and a plurality of radial walls 29 integral with the hub and with discs 21 and 2'8 and terminating in arcuate flanges 30 which have outer surfaces which are segments of a cylinder. The peripheral surfaces of the discs and the outer surfaces of flanges 30 comprise parts of a cylinder surface. The radial walls 29, hub 26 and end discs 2l and 28 form compartments 3| which are open at their radial outer ends to receive solids flowing from the hopper through the hole in upper plate 4. End disc 28 of rotor has an outwardly projecting annular rib 32 which is located by flange 2U and seats on disc 3. The hub 26 of the rotor 25 has an axial hole extending therethrough. A threaded" rod 32 extends through that hole and is threaded into the axial hole 2| in disc I3. Nut 33, threaded on the outer end of rod 32 and pressing against`Y rotor 25, serves to secure the rotor to disc |-3for rotation therewith.

The valve seal comprises a collapsible,tubular` resilient ring 35 and a shoe 36. The shoe confprises a cylindrical portion 3"! which is slidable in the opening defined by flange 2 of the housing and a rotor engaging portion 3B., which is; geni erally rectangular in plan view, is substantially as long as rotor 25 and is not more than about 120 in width measured along the under surface which is engageable with the rotor; The' shoe 36 is positioned inl housing I- by bolts 40u/nich extend upthrough the housing and nuts 4| which' engage the bolts outside of the housing and be'- neath flange 2. The resilientring 35 li'es between the upper end of portion 31 of. the' seal and plate 4 and may be compressed more' or less by adjusting the nuts 4| on bolts 40'.

I-t will be noted that shoe 36 prevents flow of gases or solids past rotor 25 andv into or out of the hopper. The end portions of the shoe overlie discs 27 and 28 while theside portions 46' are long enough circumferentially to more than. bridge the` gap between any adjacent. pair oranges31l' on partitionwallsZQ'.

When the parts of the device of Fig. 1` are in assembled position, the lower curved surfaces of parts 45 and 46 of shoe 36 are substantially in engagement with the cylindrical surfaces of discs 27|: and 2.8f andY flanges 30 0frotor- 25` and resilient ring 35` engagesY the under side of plate i and.

the upper end of. shoe 36 andv constitutes the packing between these two members within flange 2 of the housing Any abrasive wear ofeither theY cylindrical surface of rotor 5 or the under surface of shoe 3S may be compensated for by a. lowering shoe 36 until substantial engagement of the shoe and rotor occurs. This lowering action may be accomplished by turning nuts 4| on studs 4D.. Resilient ring 35 serves not only to sealagainst the escape of flow of air` or gas between the housing,` plate and shoe,` but also to urge the shoe downwardly against rotor' 25. Obviously ring 35 may be replaced by other means suchy as a bellows type seal or by springs or other resilient means when the shoe 36 has a Suniciently close sliding t in the opening through the top of housing I to seal satisfactorily.

It will' be noted that shoe 36 does not engage over more than 120 of the circumferential extent of rotor 25. Two main objects are attained by observing 'this maximum dimension. The grinding of the lower surface of the" shoe is facilitated since three shoes, each l20``long, may be chucked and ground at one time. Alsoi, ad.- justin'ents may be made' for wear' until. the slice is substantially worn out because the surfaces of the' shoe and rotor continue tov conform to each other as the'wea'r progresses.

The device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is quite like the device of Figs. 1 and' 2. rRotor ttf is quite like rotor 25 but has a smaller number of radialy walls 6|' and has correspondingly longer arcuate flanges 52 at the outer ends of those walls. Instead of being carried in the Overhung position of rotor 25, rotor is mounted on shaft 63 which extends through the axial opening in hub 64 of the rotor and is mounted in bearings 65 carried by brackets 66 on the ends of housing 61 which corresponds to housing of Figs. 1 and 2. Sprocket wheel 68 on shaft 63 is provided for engagement withv av drive chain and serves to rotate the shaft and rotor. The' shoe 'i0 is quite like shoe `3b and is similarly and adjustably mounted in the housing. Upper plate correspondsto plate 4 of Fig. l, while the resilient ring |'2A corresponds to ring 35 of Fig. 1.

Itwill be. noted that the lower surfaces of opposed si'cle portions '|3 of shoe '|0 are sufciently long` circumferentially to bridge the space between two adjacent anges 62 so that at no time isone of the compartments of the rotor in communication with both the interior and exterior of the hopper;

Bil

It will be obvious that various changes in constructionmay be made in the devices' illustrated and' described. herein. All such. changes, which. do not' amount to'invention, are intended tocomek within the present invention and are comprehended within. the scope of the present claims;

Having thus described the invention so that others. skilled' in the art may be able tounderstand and practice the same, I state that what I desireto secureby Letters Patent is defined in what-is claimed.

IV claim:

1. A device for feeding fine'solids comprising a substantially cylindrical rotor including a hub, end, discs spaced. axially apart on the' hub and a plurality of radial walls connected to the discs, extending outwardlyy from the hub to the outer peripheryV of the discs and defining with said discs a plurality' of separate compartments open at their outer ends, a sealing shoe having opposed side portions each having under surfaces longer circumferentially of the rotor than the space between adjacent radial walls, andl means including a plurality of shoe-supporting studs fastenedv to, and extending from, the shoe for adjustably positioning said shoe vertically relative lto said rotor.

2. A device for feeding ne solids comprising a substantially cylindrical rotor including a hub, end discs spaced axially apart on the hub and. aplurality ofradial walls connected to the discs, extending outwardly from the hub to the outer periphery of the discs and defining with said discs a plurality of separate compartments open at their outer ends, a sealing shoe having opposedside portions each` having under surfaces longer circumferentially of the rotor than the space between adjacent radial walls, means including a plurality of shoe-supporting studs fastened to, and extending from, the shoe for adjustably positioning said shoe vertically relative to-said rotor, and means comprising a collapsible, tubular, rubber ring engaging said shoe and urging ittoward said rotor.

`3. A device for feeding finesolids comprising a substantially cylindrical rotor including a hub, endl discs spaced axially apart on the hub and a plurality of radialy walls connected to the discs andV extending outwardly from the hub to the outer periphery of the discs and defining with said discs a plurality of separate compartments open at their outer ends, a sealing shoe having opposed side portions each havingunder surfaces longer circumferentially of the rotor than the space between adjacent radial walls.- a housing enclosing said rotor and shoe, and having.

S openings in its upper and lower portions for admission and discharge of fine solids, means including a plurality of studs fastened to the shoe and extending upwardly therefrom through apertures in the upper portion of said housing for adjustably positioning said shoe vertically relative to said rotor, and means comprising a co1- lapsible, tubular, rubber ring engaging said shoe and urging it toward said rotor.

LAURITZ EMIL MYLTING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this .patenti UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 325,940 Livingston Feb. 9, 1886 Number Number 

